Tea Clipper Ships

"Thermopylae" clipper ship. Chromolithograph by M. Reilly (19th century)

It's exhilarating to imagine being a captain of a clipper ship.  My long, sleek boat skimming atop the waves as a stiff wind snaps the canvas sails into billowing clouds.  What a rush!

The heyday of the clipper ships was in the mid 1800's when American and British shipbuilders competed to build the fastest designs for bringing fresh tea from China.  Tea lovers on both sides of the Atlantic wagered on which boats would arrive first and captains commanding the fastest ships would win public acclaim and  monetary rewards.

Many ships names evoked images of speed and beauty:  Flying Cloud, Champion of the Seas, Hurricane, Flying Fish, Snow Squall, Stag Hound and Lightning.

The clippers could travel at speeds of 20 knots per hour and cover 400 miles in a 24-hour period.  By comparison, cargo ships of the time traveled at 4 knots per hour.  The route went around Cape Horn and took about 107 days.

The clipper ship era ended around 1869 when the Suez Canal opened and steamships made the trip in 50 days.

I'd like to someday see the last surviving clipper ship, the Cutty Sark.  For the last 6 years, it has been under renovation but was re-opened in April 2012 by Her Majesty the Queen.  The ship's home is at the Royal Museums Greenwich, London.

Tea Review: Numi Tea Breakfast Blend

One of my favorite bagged teas in the morning is Numi's Breakfast Blend.  The tea blends four Fair Trade organic black teas:  Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling and Keemun.  The blend combines the best of the four types into a flavorful and pleasing brew; strong flavored yet mild.

Numi Tea was founded in 1999 by brother and sister team Reem and Ahmed Rahim and is based in Oakland, CA. All of Numi's teas are USDA Certified Organic.

And now, the details of my review:

Liquor - a caramel reddish/coffee appearance

Aroma - raisins and toast

Astringency - mild astringency, dry finish

Body/texture - nice body, has substance to it

Taste - Roasted quality.  Hearty but mild.  Not overpowering.

Aftertaste - slight tannin flavor

I like to save my Breakfast Blend for days that I can savor it and start the day off right!

In an upcoming blog, I'll be tasting the individual black teas that go into the blend and seeing what they add to the flavor and quality.

Tea and Art: Mary Cassatt

Five O'Clock Tea, also known as The Tea, (oil on canvas) was painted in 1880 by American artist Mary Cassatt.  She was known for her impressionistic works that tended to feature women and children in everyday settings.

The woman on the left is probably the hostess since she's the one not wearing a hat.  I'm wondering why her cup looks as if she never poured any tea for herself - perhaps she's anxious for her guest to be on her way.  The guest is sipping what I imagine to be a lovely tea from China brought by steamship to America.  The guest might be wishing for some sugar but the absence of spoons or tongs in the tea set suggests that she won't be getting any.  Perhaps it's another subtle ploy of the hostess to move her along.

World Tea Expo: New Tea Product Awards

The World Tea Expo is a huge trade show for tea professionals and enthusiasts.  The 10th annual expo wrapped up yesterday - it was held June 1-3, in Las Vegas.  I haven't been to one yet, but maybe next year...

At the show new tea products were showcased and awards given to winners in a variety of categories.

Here are a few of the more interesting products that might be fun to check out.  

A winner in the Innovation category is the Slim Steeper.  Put loose tea in it, place it into your water bottle and do a cold brew steep.

Or, how about this magic mushroom spice rub from Indie Tea?  It's made with Yerba Mate tea, porcini mushrooms and spices for spreading on your steak.

These are tea-themed greeting cards with vintage images and an enclosed tea bag.

You can see more new products at the expo website http://www.worldteaexpo.com/index.php/new-products

White Tea Review: Snow Buds

We had a lovely cup of Snow Buds white tea today at Temple Coffee & Tea in Sacramento.  Temple mostly sources its own tea, meaning they buy directly from a producer.

Snow Buds tea leaves are from the Fujian province of China and are picked when the leave and buds are new.

We steeped the tea for the recommended 3 minutes and found it a delightful and gentle brew.  Here are a few tasting notes:

Liquor  - a clear golden-yellow

Aroma  - vegetal/grassy 

Astringency - a noticeable but light astringency

Body/Texture - clean with a bit of fullness

Taste - surprisingly, the first tastes did not match the aroma.  The tea was clean and bright with a grounding undertone of nuttiness. After a few minutes, a grassy flavor became more prominent.

Tea and Music: The Kinks

The Kinks

Have a Cuppa Tea

I recently discovered the 1971 song "Have a Cuppa Tea".  It's worth noting since it's rare that a song is all about tea.  The song was written by Ray Davies of the Kinks and recorded on their Muswell Hillbillies album.  In the song, the British-bred band "honors" England's love affair with tea.  It's a rather odd song that credits tea for curing all ailments.

"Take granny's stand-by potion
For any old cough or wheeze.
It's a cure for hepatitis, it's a cure for chronic insomnia,
It's a cure for tonsillitis and for water on the knee."
 
If you're intrigued, you can find postings on youtube of the Kinks performing the song.

Top 5 Tea Producing Countries

     

Which countries produce the most tea?  In 2010, the top 5 tea producing countries were China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey.  China and India combined accounted for 56% of all tea produced by the top 20 countries.  Although China is now in the lead with 1.5 million tons, it wasn't always this way.  India had top honors until 2005, when China took over the title.

Although not shown in the chart, Japan and Argentina have been in a battle for 9th and 10th place.  Japan had the higher spot in 2009 but Argentina increased their production by 24% in 2010 and moved into 9th place over Japan.

I compiled these interesting facts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. If you're a data wonk like me, you might want to turn your analytical gaze to the FAO website at  http://faostat.fao.org

Topiary Teapot

I just love this topiary teapot.  I've seen photos of other topiary teapots, but this one isn't just a garden-grown teapot, it's an entire tea set!  For true tea lovers.

The topiary set is located at the Priory Mill in the town of Lechlade, UK. Lechlade is in the Cotswold area on the River Thames.

The photo was taken by Collin West. You can see other photos of his at panoramio.com.  This photo is copyrighted, but Collin graciously gave me permission to use it in my blog.  It's a lovely photo indeed and many thanks to Collin.

I can only fantasize about what kind of delicious and aromatic tea fills the big pot.

Tea and Art: Claude Monet

Tea is so universally loved that it appears in many artistic forms in the world.  Here is a painting by the French artist Claude Monet (1840-1926).  This painting is called "The Tea Service" and was completed in 1872.  It is oil on canvas and the original is in a private collection in Dallas, Texas.

Monet was a leader in the Impressionism art movement.  He mostly painted landscapes; "The Tea Service" is a rare still life.

The painting includes elements from several cultures, Japanese teacups, Chinese bowl and Brazilian plant on a French tablecloth.

To me, the blending of these cultures in the painting celebrates the worldwide enjoyment and appreciation of tea.